Army of the Infected
by invalid92
Summary: Prelude to the Death of a Gangster. Very mature themes, violence and drug use. A darker more realistic version of Team Rocket.
1. Those

"Johanson. We had a reservation for Johanson." Jessie was so excited to spend a night in a fancy hotel. They were getting tired of always camping out and they decided they deserved a treat.

"Good evening Mrs. Johanson. We have a luxury one bedroom suite reserved for you and your husband this evening." The friendly clerk handed them a key.

"We're- umph." James was about to protest when Jessie elbowed him. They may not relish the idea of sharing a bed, but beggars couldn't be choosers, and the clerk was clearly under the impression that they were a wealthy married couple.

"We're very tired and ready for a good night sleep!" Jessie turned on her fake charm. Whenever they impersonated someone, James always said something stupid to tip everyone off. It was so irritating.

Once they were in their room, Jessie and James took off their disguises. Jessie had been dressed like a business woman. She took down her hair but left her glasses on. Those she actually needed. No one other than James knew that she usually wore contacts.

James had been wearing huge round sunglasses and a blue neru jacket. He folded his clothes neatly, then continued to fold Jessie's which had been thrown carelessly on the floor. They changed right in the sitting room without a care. After spending so much time together, changing in front of one another was commonplace.

"You didn't tell me the Johanson reservation was for a one bedroom." Jessie said as she brushed her long red hair.

"Hey I didn't know! All I knew was that two rich people were supposed to be spending the night here but had to run off. I wasn't going to pass up the opportunity."

"Hm." Jessie calmly walked to the bed and flopped down on it. Well James you're just going to have to make yourself comfortable on that couch aren't you?"

"Hmpf. I don't think so!" James ran over and dove on to the bed beside her "Move it sister!" then proceeded to shove her off the bed.

"Well." Jessie was indignant. But she was in a forgiving mood. "I'm going to get some actual shampoo because this hotel crap just isn't cutting it. And you had better he all settled on the COUCH when I get back!"

"Whatever you say." James had his hands behind his head was looking pleased.

When Jessie returned, James was fast asleep in the bed. "Right where I left you."

Jessie looked over at the couch and rolled her eyes. She thought about all the rude ways she could waken him, but she was just too tired. They both had a long day.

Once she was changed into her pajamas, Jessie noislessly slipped into the side of the bed James left room on. She slept like a log.

When she woke up, James's arm was outstretched over her shoulder. She wasn't worrying about it too much as there was something else that was bothering.

"James. James. Wake up." Jessie said quietly. James opened his eyes immediately. After years of traveling together, they developed the ability to sleep and wake up on command.

James sat up. "What is it it?"

"I don't know. I just have one of those feelings."

James looked concerned. He knew about jessie's little "feelings." He got up and grabbed his belt from the floor. Jessie did the same.

Jessie quietly snuck over to the door to listen. She heard footsteps in the hallway. Soon enough, a single assassin opened the door.

Jessie feirlessly tackled the man to the ground. Holding a knife to his throat, she tried to question him.

"Who are you?" She demanded.

The man spat on her shoe. "Salope!" Clearly the man knew no english.

Before she could continue, all hell broke loose.

Five men ran in. Without hesitation, Jessie slit the mans throat and tossed his body in the corner of the room. Jessie ducked behind the counter, James behind the couch. One of the men shot directly in Jessie's direction, who ducked and returned fire, hitting the man in the arm.

The fire fight continued until everyone was out of bullets. James got one man right between the eyes. He was a good shot. These men were clearly not expecting much of a fight, but they were still willing to fight.

Jessie hucked Arbok's ball into the middle of the room. Now that there were no more bullets wizzing by, she felt comfortable letting out her pokemon.

Arbok atacked the men needing no instruction. Two down. Arbok got the man right in the neck with his fangs.

One man lunged at James with a crowe bar. James ducked and grabbed the lamp off the table next to them. After hitting him over the head with it, the man was still standing. In the brief moment of diorientation, James was able to get behind him and slip his knife between his C3 and C4 vertabrae. Three down.

The other two men were attacking Jessie who was nimbly dodging all their blows. One man punched Jessie in the face. Than man recieved a swift elbow to the nose from James, who was thrown accross the room landing on a decorative coffie table which shattered beneath him. That wasn't enough to stop him.

As the man was throwing another punch, Jessie ducked and stabbed the man in the gut. Now for the last one. As soon as he hit the ground, James was up and ready to fight. As he and the last man exchanged blows, Jessie stood behind him with her arms up behind his head. Ready to go in when she got the chance. With James distracting him, Jessie was able to quickly slip her knife in front of the man's neck and grab his hair.

"Who are you?" Jessie demanded again.

"Casse-toi!" Again, the French guy was swearing at her.

"ENGLISH MOTHER FUCKER DO YOU SPEAK IT?" James had no patience.

"No. I do not speak to swine like you. I know who YOU are. You sell heroin to little kids. Get them all fucked up and make them your slaves." She man spat on him. "You make me sick."

Jessie had had enough. She quickly slit the mans throat and tossed him to the side.

With her foot in the middle of his back, Jessie looked around the room. It was a literal blood bath. The sitting room wasn't that big, and the entire floor was a puddle of blood. Her mind was racing. Trying to plan her next move. She sighed and ran her fingers into her hair. Almost pulling it out in stress, leaving a smudge of blood on the side of the head.

James was on his knees. Jessie turned to see him with a single tear running down his face. She sighed again. What a baby. "James, pull it together" She said reluctantly. Normally she'd just slap him but this time was different. "We need to figure out what just happened."

"But he was right. That wasn't a bad guy Jessie. If we were pushers, he would have had every right to kill us." Jessie saw anger welling up in his eyes.

Then Jessie understood why James was so upset. He knew better than anyone what it meant to be a victim.


	2. who

**Okay, so my story is going to jump around in time throughout the chapters. I apologize for this but I just can't segway the scenes together smoothly. Let me know if they get too confusing or if you can give some advice on how to streamline it a little better. Try to think of the chapters as little individual scenes that all fit together** **in one story. And sorry if some of the language and such is a little strong. Just a fair warning. It's not a family friendly story.  
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><p>Jessie first became involved with Team Rocket in winter of 1995. It was freezing, and Jessie climbed the stairs of a huge run down mansion which was now inhabited by the bottom of the Team Rocket barrel. Grafitti lined the walls where expensive paintings once hung. Some of the steps had even caved in.<p>

Laughter was heard from a room that smelled like burning plastic. She had never smelled anything like it before but she was pretty sure what it was. In the next room Jessie heard people fucking on a squeaky bed. The next room was empty. _Where is he?_

The next room looked empty too. As the walked in she saw a man with violet hair sitting on a milk crate in front of the window. He was rocking back and forth muttering something to himself. _Nope. Definitely not him._

"...without ME." Next thing she knew a syringe came flying out his hand into the fireplace and the strange man fell to his knees kicking the milk crate back towards where Jessie was standing.

Jessie dodged the crate and cautiously stepped forward. The discarded syringe was still full with a brown liquid. The man was lying on the floor still talking to himself, seemingly unaware of Jessie's presence. He started shaking.

Jessie knelt down beside him. He could need medical attention...

"No more... No... More..." Then he looked straight in her eyes. His eyes were sunken and red. He was dripping with sweat even though it was the dead of winter, and looked as if he hadn't eaten or slept in weeks. He couldn't have weighed more than 120 pounds at just under six feet tall. "You know... I don't do it because I want to..." He gasped. "Not anymore. I do it because it feels like if I don't, I'll die. I'll just..." He convulsed again, like he was fighting off a demon. He turned over and became hysterical. "...I don't want to die... I can't..." He narrowed his eyes with a renewed sense of determination. "Not until I'm someone worth burying..." The tears kept coming and he lay on his stomach, propping himself up with track marked forearms. His body trembled and shook. "I can't be another dead junkie."

He took a deep breath and lay down on his back. He closed his eyes like he was trying to concentrate on something. Jessie had no idea what must be going through his head, but she pitied him. He wasn't like the other junkies she had encountered. Something was different about him. He had a determination that overpowered the crippling depression often associated with withdrawal. She knew how bad it could be, and she was amazed by his strength. Even if to anyone else, he would look like another desperate, hopeless drug addict.

Truth was she had seen him around before. Selling stolen goods, getting kicked out of bars. She knew there were a lot of junkies working for team rocket, and she usually just tried to ignore them. They normally didn't last long. And If you started feeling bad for them, you wouldn't either.

As she was thinking about all this the young man began convulsing more frequently until he was having a full blown seizure. Jessie was not prepared for this. All she could do was watch and make sure he didn't get hurt. But by the looks of it, he was already pretty battered from god knows what.

Jessie hated junkies. She felt sorry for him, but she knew that if she stopped what she was doing to help him she'd never get a job, and she didn't want to look weak to the boss. So she placed a pillow under his head and reluctantly left him. _For this guy to be having seizures he would have to be taking more than just heroin... He's in for a world of hurt._ Jessie tried to convince herself he wasn't worth helping as she continued her search for Giovanni. Normally her conscience was something she could just turn on and off. It was easy to shut someone out. But for some reason, she couldn't help but feel like she knew this man...

"There you are." A large man smiled a murderous smile. "I'm sorry I had to meet you here, but you know, duty calls..." By the small red splatters on his lapel, Jessie could see he had just finished something dark. "I was told a pretty red head was looking for a job, and I must say, your beauty was greatly understated. You have your mother's eyes." Jessie's heart raced at the mention of her mother. Giovanni politely held Jessie's hand and gave it a light kiss. She felt like she was going to be sick as she studied the man's features closely.

"Why thank you." Jessie tried to act calm and collected. "I think with my extensive experience I would make a top notch field agent if given the opportunity."

Giovanni chuckled. "Well we'll just see about that. Field agent status isn't something you can charm your way into you know. Why don't you start off by moving some of the merchandise in the wine cellar? Claudio would be happy take you under his wing."

_He wants me to deal? How insulting!_ "Of course." Jessie swallowed her pride and curtsied. "I would be honored."

"Great. You can start today." Giovanni dismissed her with a wave of his hand as he took out a cigarette.

Jessie wasn't feeling too great about getting into this business, but it was all she was good at. Lying ran in the family. Truth was, Giovanni knew where Miyamoto was, and was her only connection to her. Aside from the obvious, there was something else more disturbing about Giovanni. She couldn't quite put her finger on it, but she just had one of those feelings.

Down in the wine cellar, Jessie met up with Claudio. "Chainer Jeeeeess! What's up girl?" Claudio was an old friend from her gang. It was nice to see a familiar face.

"Well, apparently I work for you now." She said sounding embarrassed.

"Is that right? Welp, you gotta start somewhere." Claudio scooted a large box in her direction with his foot. "Here's your first assignment."

Jessie knelt down and opened the box. It was filled with bags of various sizes containing a brown powder. Her stomach dropped.

"Um... Claud?" Jessie looked up at Claudio with her big watery eyes. She tried her hardest to express all her discomfort into one facial expression.

Claudio sighed. "You know my weakness Jess. Those eyes get me every time..."

"It's just... I really don't want to sell THIS. I mean- Weed. Ex. LSD. Whatever. But..."

Claudio let out a long exaggerated sigh. "Okay. I get it. It's okay. You're new. I'll start easy on you." Claudio turned around and disappeared into a closet. He emerged with a box of weed. "Start on this if you'd like. But I'm telling you Jess, once you see how it really is, you won't feel guilty anymore. We aren't forcing anyone to take it. They will seek you out. Especially the junkies. The ones who still pay for it with money anyway. Heh heh. Trust me, you'll need the money sooner or later."


	3. Slay

After getting acquainted with her new career with Team Rocket, Jessie couldn't help but return to that room where she met the strange man. She couldn't get him off her mind.

The strange man was right where she left him. She crouched down beside him to make sure he was still breathing. He turned over and gave a weak smile. "Thank you."

Jessie carefully studied his features. He was barely recognizable from his former self. "I'm sorry, but you looks so familiar. Have we met before?" Jessie asked.

"Hm." He looked amused. "I'm James Gervais. You probably wouldn't remember me, but I'll never forget the day I met you."

...

...

James was 9 years old the first time he laid eyes on Jessie. Having never visited the city before, James was shocked to see the conditions in which other children lived. He had no idea there were children just like him living in poverty.

Sometimes James and Growlie would go on little walks together, just to get away. But today, they strayed a little further than usual. Seeing the city had always been a dream of his, but his parents would never take him.

It was around noon time when James and Growlie decided to stop for lunch. When they arrived at the park, James noticed a small girl his age rummaging through a trash barrel. _Ew what is she doing?_ He thought. Then he looked a little closer. Her clothes were worn and she was filthy. She looked like she had never had a decent meal.

"Um. Excuse me?" James approached her. She looked terrified.

"Oh! I'm sorry." She bowed. "How rude of me, I'll get out of your way!"

"...Wait!" The girl turned around. "Um, are you hungry?" James pointed to his lunch box. "I have a sandwich in here I don't think I could finish on my own." He smiled warmly.

"Really? You'd share your lunch with me?" The girl cocked her head. The concept of sharing was foreign to her. At the orphanage, it was always every kid for themselves. Nobody had ever shared food with her before.

Likewise, James never had to share food before. He was used to having all the food he wanted prepared by a professional chef.

The two children sat down on a bench together. "Here. It's split into two equal pieces. Just how my mom always cuts it." He handed her one half.

The girl quickly devoured the sandwich. He had never seen anyone so happy for such a small amount of food. "Wow. You have a mom end everything huh? You even have a pokemon! You're one lucky kid!" She said through bites of food. James had never seen anyone talk with their mouth full before. It was strangely refreshing.

"...I guess I am. I don't always feel that way though. I'm not allowed to do anything fun and if I do something wrong, even something little, I get in a lot of trouble... I get beat up pretty bad sometimes." James confided in the girl.

"Yeah, I guess I know what you mean. The older kids will hit me too if I do something they don't like. It's not fair. It's not my fault I'm so small..."

"...I'm James by the way. James Gervais." James extended a hand to her.

The girl was confused. A handshake was a courtesy she had never been given before. "I'm Jessie..." She cautiously shook the boy's hand. "Jessie... I don't know what my last name would be. The only other name I know from my family is Miyamoto."

James resisted the urge to wipe his hand off which had been dirtied by the girl's filthy hand. "Hm. Well, maybe it's better that way. You can be whoever you want to be that way. Nobody can tell you how to dress, how to act, or who to marry. You can just be... Free."

"Yeah. I guess you're right." Jessie had never thought of it that way before. She may be poor, but at least she had her freedom.

...

...

Jessie just kind of stared at him for a minute. Could it really be him? He was much skinnier and pretty beat up. That electric blue was obviously not his natural hair colour. He had a black eye and all kinds of cuts and scrapes. She tried to picture him as he was that day. She just couldn't. She'd have to take his word on it.

"Heh heh." James coughed. "Do you remember how we used to wander around town at night with Growlie and talk about our white people problems?" He was lost in the memory. It seemed his problems only grew since they last met. "You were my first friend."

Jessie's eyes started to water. He was her first friend too. It saddened her to see someone she remembered as being so kind and well brought up in such a sad state. It was James who first encouraged her to follow her dreams. She just wished he would have taken his own advice...

"You said you wanted to be a Pokemon trainer one day." She smiled and tried to cheer both of them up. "Giovanni says he can get any Team Rocket member into Pokemon tech if they prove themselves useful enough. That's still my goal." As kids, Jessie and James both dreamed of attending Pokemon Tech. Team Rocket was the only way someone with no money could get in. "I imagine it's still yours since you're working for him now."

"Yeah." He attempted to laugh. "That was my original plan, but as you can see, I'm not exactly on the right track."

"Well then let's do it together! We're both pretty lowly members right now, but if we work together we can become the best agents Team Rocket's ever had!" Jessie was trying to encourage him, but in the back of James's mind he knew how dangerous Jessie's desire to impress Giovanni could be. But wherever it lead her, he wanted to be there to help her through it.

James sighed and turned over. "Wow. Nobody's ever spoken to me like that before... To be honest it sounds kind of naive." But something about Jessie's presence ignited something in him. Perhaps she was the last little spark he needed to get moving again. "But I want nothing more than to get my life back. I left home looking for freedom, only to put myself in an even smaller box. And I want out."


	4. together

"So you're saying Johanson was a cop? I'm confused." James was trying to explain what happened to a confused Meowth. "I leave you guys alone for one night and you almost get yourselves killed!"

"I know it's weird but I remember a Johanson. He was crooked cop who worked closely with Giovanni. He used to take a commission of the drug sales in exchange for covering for the dealers."

"Yeah, now that I think of it, that one time I almost got busted Johanson was one of the guys who covered for me." Jessie didn't like talking about her past, but for some reason it just seemed to keep creeping back up on her.

"But that still doesn't explain why those guys attacked you. Why would junkies want to kill him?" Meowth was kind of annoyed he wasn't there. He was out on a separate mission for Giovanni that required his lock picking skills.

"I told you, they were recovered. Their track marks were faded." James was getting frustrated.

"That doesn't necessarily mean they weren't still drugged up." Jessie pointed out.

"I know. But that one guy was so angry... Like he had a score to settle. He seemed pretty sober to me." The other two had to take James's word for it. He knew more about drugs than either of them.

After a short awkward silence, Meowth had to ask. "What did you tell the boss when you called it in?"

More awkward silence.

"You DID call it in didn't you?" Meowth's eyes widened.

After killing someone, it was customary for a Team Rocket member to call the boss directly so he could take care of covering it up. It was a kind of a courtesy from him to his agents to keep them out of the prison system. Team Rocket members who got caught usually ended up telling the police everything in order to save themselves a lengthy sentence. Giovanni was smart enough to preemptively either keep them out of prison, or eliminate them before they could talk. He preferred to keep his agents alive, but killing them was not beneath him.

After killing someone, if a Team Rocket member failed to call it in, they would most likely be killed.

"You see, that's the weirdest thing. The hotel was run by a man named Kent, who apparently is a pretty high ranking member. He was able to take care of it." James remembered how curious it was when the man took one look at Jessie and quickly changed his tune.

The initially furious agent took one look at Jessie's icy blues and started apologizing profusely. "I'm so sorry. I had no idea who you were. There's no reason to tell the boss about this one huh? I'll take care of this. You just go get yourself somewhere safe huh? Here. I'll have my driver transport you somewhere safe immediately." The man was a complete coward. Jessie had her suspicions as to why, but she kept them to herself.

"Well that was lucky. The boss would have flipped his shit if he knew what you did. I'd be more worried about what he had to say." As Meowth so tactlessly pointed out, Giovanni was known to deny his agents his help if he found them particularly useless. It took a lot of work to cover up a murder, and if he saw it more financially responsible, he would just kill said agents and get it over with. He was a shrewd business man.

Meowth didn't seem to understand why Jessie and James were so uncomfortable. He knew what they were trying to do, but some of the subtleties were lost on him. "Well since that's all taken care of now, we should probably get back to work. I'll bet the twerp's all done with his little visit to mommy by now. He's probably on the move again."

"Yeah, I guess we should get going." Jessie was hesitant to get back to the usual routine. She had so many questions the still needed answering.


	5. Stay

The next morning, Jessie James and Meowth wake up in one of the Gervais family summer estates. Luckily for them, Ash and his friends were staying at a near by pokecenter, and they could spend the night there since James's parents were off doing god knows what.

It was a little cold, but there were more than enough blankets and such to keep them warm. Out of habit, they all slept in the same room. They just didn't feel safe in separate rooms. Danger was always right around the corner.

The three of them were huddled up in a huge king-sized bed for warmth. Jessie was just thinking about how nice it was to have friends to rely on who could keep you safe and warm and- then she thought she heard something. "James"

"Yup." He knew the drill. She was probably just paranoid, but just in case, he went ot go check it out. Wost case, it was his parents, who were easily enough to get away from. Provided Jessibelle wasn't with them...

As he turned the corner in the corridor, he spotted three people on their knees and a man in a Team Rocket uniform standing above them in the main entrance room. He quickly hid around the corner so as not to be seen. Luckily, the agent had his back to him.

"Yeah I'm gonna need someone to come identify these four for me. I wanna make sure they're the right ones." He was holding a phone to his ear with one hand and pointing a gun to the kids with the other. "Yeah I'm pretty sure this place belongs to Gervais. He'll know who these kids are. He's only like, you know, assigned to them and all." He laughed. They were clearly making fun of Jessie and James's incompetence.

The man was Adam. He wasn't a terribly bad guy. Your average agent would shoot first and ask questions later. This man had the decency to be certain before he killed someone with a price. But with team rocket agents, common decency was almost always repaid with a swift death. This time was no exception.

"Yeah okay I guess I can wait ten minutes longer. Hurry up though. I don't have all day. The sooner you get here the sooner we get paid. Yeah. I know I know, fifty fifty. I promise."

Ash, Brock, and Misty were paralyzed with fear. They have never been so close to death before. The usually loud Misty wept quietly. Pikachu and Togepi were locked in a small cage, completely helpless.

_Shit. Why didn't I bring my gun? _James frantically looked around for a weapon. There were two swords mounted on the wall in the next room. James took off his shoes and went to grab the sword as quietly as possible. It took a little force, but it came loose eventually.

Peering around the corner, the weight of the two-handed sword sagged in his hands. Brock spotted him and his eyes widened. Before he could do anything stupid, James held a finger to his lips signaling him to keep quiet.

Adam ended the call and turned his attention to the screen, probably to make another call. He was distracted. This was his chance. He felt bad, because he remembered how nice Adam had always been to him. But more than anything, he would not allow someone to kill Ash, and ruin everything he had been working for.

With that in mind, he jumped out and swung the sword straight into Adam's neck. It was so sharp it nearly took his whole head clean off. _Danm dad really doesn't fuck around with his decor. _

The three teenagers were shocked. Misty had her head buried in Brock's chest and the two of them looked away. Ash stared blankly at Adam's body. Then at James. He was wearing sweatpants and a black t-shirt and was covered in blood.

Without missing a beat, James went straight for the cage to let the pokemon out.

"What... What just happened?" Ash was still pretty shook up.

"You should just forget everything you've heard today. Go home. Rest." When James opened the cage, Togepi ran to comfort Misty, and Pikachu just kind of stared at him.

"How the hell can I forget something like that! What did he mean when he said I was 'worth a small fortune'?" Ash was getting angry

"I said forget it. This is Team Rocket business." James avoided eye contact as he wiped his bloody hands with a handkerchief.

"I think this is MY business. Tell the truth! Team Rocket doesn't want Pikachu, they want me DEAD!" Ash was furious now

"Well no shit sherlock!" Jessie came down the main stairs looking annoyed. "What the hell are you guys doing here anyway? Are you trying to get us all killed?" Instead of her usual Team Rocket uniform, she was wearing jeans and a t-shirt that was a little too big for her.

Much to Ash's chagrin, Jessie stepped over Adam's dead body like it was a log in the woods. She didn't seem to care she was standing in a puddle of her friend's blood.

"We came here to get away from that Team Rocket agent who was following us."

"You mean Adam?" Asked Jessie

"No, the other guy that was with him."

"Uh oh. Thomas." James went into the other room where his dad kept his guns. Adam's partner was Thomas. He wasn't such a nice guy. _That must have been who he was on the phone with_.

"He's gonna be here in 8 minutes." James said from the other room as he opened a safe.

"Well we'll be ready for him." Ash grabbed Bulbasaur's pokeball and held it in front of him confidently.

"There's the spirit!" James came over and handed Ash a gun with a silencer.

As soon as the cold metal touched his hands, Ash was disgusted. He held it in front of him like a dirty sock. "Uh, this isn't exactly what I had in mind..."

"What? You thought you'd use your pokemon? Are you trying to get them killed? These people aren't pokemon trainers Ash, they're trained killers. Even if they do use pokemon, they won't be playing by the rules." James was annoyed with Ash's naivety.

"Uh, on second thought why don't we just get ourselves somewhere safe and let you guys do your jobs?" Ash became almost cowardly at the prospect of real violence.

"I don't get it." Brock emerged from the sitting room where he was comforting Misty. "Why did you just do that? You guys want Pikachu don't you? That's what you've been following us around all this time for, right?"

Meowth seemingly from nowhere interjected from between the rungs of the railing. "You guys didn't think we were that stupid did ya?"

"Well..." Brock scratched his head and smiled sheepishly.

Jessie and James looked at each other. "I guess we should just tell them then?" Jessie wasn't happy about it, but she knew the time had come.

"Are you kidding? He's not nearly ready! The first sight of blood and he turns into a Magikarp. The kid's fucking useless." James spat as he loaded his gun.

His cold words made Ash's blood boil."I'm not useless! I'm the best trainer in Kanto and I'm at least six years younger than you!"

James laughed. "That's exactly why we need you to be stronger. We need a trainer with the skill to get through Giovanni's Pokemon bodyguards." James moved towards him "But we also need a trainer with the bollocks to fight with us."

"What... What are you saying?" Ash backed up, confused.

"What are ya, stupid? Nobody works for Team Rocket because they WANT to. That Giovanni's the scum of the earth." Meowth was cool and calm as usual. "If we can get rida him, we might be able to do away with the whole operation. Or at the very least, get his son in his office. Now that guy's got some scruples."

"So wait. You guys are saying you never really wanted Pikachu at all?" Brock pointed out.

"Well at first we did. But once we learned they were going to kill him and Ash we changed our minds. Team Rocket has gotten really bad. They've crossed over into true evil. They used to stand for something. A greater good. Not anymore." Jessie tried to explain in a way a 16 year-old might understand.

"So why do you guys keep following us around?" Ash asked.

"We have no intention of letting anyone kill you guys. You're our last hope." James said impatiently.

"Sometimes in order to prepare for the future you have to ignore the ugly truth, and remove yourself from your emotional ties to others." _To denounce the evils of truth and love_

"All we want is to make the world a better place. That's why we joined Team Rocket in the first place." _To extend our reach to the stars above._

_ I feel like such an idiot. _Ash was zooming through all of their past interactions that hinted to this fact. He recalled one time when they used a certain kind of trap on Pikachu, then later, that trap was used by a serious poacher, and he was able to get out because he recognized how it worked. All thanks to James and Jessie...

"So... You were... Training me?" Ash's whole world was turned upside down.

Misty came running in and hugged Jessie. "Oh my gosh you guys were protecting us! I am soo sorry for all that mean stuff I said about you before! I had no Idea you were really go-"

Jessie cut her off and pushed her away. "Listen! You can't be so quick to trust people!" James was shaking his head in frustration behind her. "People aren't separated into good and bad people." Jessie lectured. "We all have a lot of both in us. It's great to recognize people for the good in them but that doesn't mean you can put your guard down. This is why we weren't ready to tell you. YOU aren't ready. You aren't mature enough. You're just teenagers!"

"Oh- I- I'm sorry." Misty understood. She blushed and tried to compose herself.

"Brock, Misty, this is where your true test of loyalty comes in, you'll have to-"

Before James could finish a shot rang out from the window and whizzed past his head. _Thomas always was a terrible shot. _

With amazing speed and precision, James whipped around, zeroed in on an almost invisible target in the window and hit him between the eyes.

He sighed. "As I was saying. We need to know that you're with us, because you're the last ingredient in our little murder cake we got cooking." James was hungry.

Brock laughed. He felt horrible for being amused, but he couldn't help it. "Was that Thomas?"

"Yeah, luckily he's Irish and shoots like a drunken retard." James received an angry glare from Jessie for that comment. It wasn't her fault James was a better shot than her. He had been shooting since he was a little kid with his dad.

"I don't know... Do you have to KILL him? I mean, isn't there some other way to resolve this?" Misty was hopeful

"Look, this isn't some after school special. If you really want to do some good in this world, the best thing you can do is get rid of Giovanni. He's a truly evil man. If you were ever in the same room as him he would not hesitate to kill you. Trust me, he has done worse." Jessie really wanted them to understand.

The plan was originally to somehow make friends with them. Earn their trust. But thanks to this little slip up, they had to skip that step. Most of James's anger was towards himself. He was angry at himself for letting another agent get so close to getting them. He and Jessie killed so many people defending Ash. He practically bent over backwards to keep him safe.

Jessie and James did admire Ash. He was actually quite brave. But in ways they weren't. He was impulsive, and unafraid to act. Jessie and James were more patient. They were more interested in the big picture.

"If we let Team Rocket continue in this direction, it won't be long before Giovanni runs the whole country. And trust me, Team Rocket's sphere of influence goes way higher up than you think it does. You've seen some of the horrible things they've done under Giovanni's orders. That's only the tip of the ice berg." Jessie continued.

"Team Rocket's original purpose was to liberate Pokemon and give them more rights and protection. We're supposed to be recruiting special pokemon, not capturing and killing them. But once Giovanni inherited it, it became all about money..." James explained.

"So what exactly do you need me to do?" Ash seemed to be on board. Knowing that someone was trying to kill Pikachu made him ready to fight.

"We need you to defeat all of his pokemon so he'll have his defenses down. After that, James and I will take care of the rest. The thing about Giovanni is, he likes rock type pokemon, so you're gonna need your toughest water pokemon. We were hoping Misty would be willing to lend Ash a hand with that one. You never know who he might have on hand at any given time, but next to Persian, he usually has one other favorite pokemon, and it's usually a rock or ground type."

"So you better get squirtle and bulbasaur in shape!" Meowth warned

"And he has a lot of pokemon. Not only do you need to defeat him at the gym, but you'll need to face him again at the hideout. If you can pull both off in one day, really tire out all his pokemon, we'll be able to get to him." James explained

"But how are we going to convince him to battle me twice in one day?"

"Don't worry about that. I'm a master at mind games. By the time we leave the gym, he'll be demanding a rematch. Everyone knows how hot-headed he can be. That's his biggest weakness. He gets all confident and macho and he becomes unreasonable." Meowth explained

"Well it looks like we've got work to do!" Ash was strangely excited about this. It was a feeling he had never experienced before. It was always in the back of his mind, but he never really admitted it. Truth was, he had been wanting to do this all along.


	6. together in the end

Onix used Stone Edge. Direct hit. Squirtle flies across the gym.

"Brock! Enough!" Misty, concerned for squirtle's safety, ran into the training room.

Ash called Squirtle back, looking defeated. "I've beat you before, why am I not having any luck today?"

"Luck has nothing to do with it. I've been training too you know. You're going to have to get a lot better before you face you know who. This isn't like any other battle. This time, your pokemon could actually die." Brock was frustrated with Ash's lack of focus.

Ash was so caught up in this thought he didn't notice Jessie and James enter the room. "Ash?" Ash jumped a mile. He didn't even know they were behind him. This was not a good time. He was under a lot of pressure and they were the last people he wanted to see. The weight of his decision burdened him.

"Ash listen. I'm going to have to go away for a few days. I have to travel to Cherrygrove City to meet someone very important. But James and Meowth will still be here to watch over you guys while I'm gone." Jessie said sounding genuinely concerned

"You guys don't need to baby sit us, we'll be fine here for a while." Ash resented the notion that he needed someone to watch over him.

"Not likely. Team Rocket thinks you killed Adam and Tom. Things will only get worse." James had to remind himself that until now, Ash had no idea what he and Jessie and been through because of him. His ungratefulness irked him.

"What's so important in Cherrygrove City? That's seems like kind of a random place." Misty asked

"I need to find Silver. Word is he and Giovanni had a bit of a falling out and I haven't been able to reach him. Last time he was seen was there. We're going to need his help." Jessie had confusing feelings about Silver. She had never been too fond of him, but for some reason the idea of seeing him again made her nervous. It was just one of those feelings she had.

Silver was very influential. Without his support, their plan didn't really have a straightforward direction. Jessie wanted to do this right. Silver was her last hope.

...

...

"Are you sure I can't come with you? What if something goes wrong?" James was practically whining at this point. He was not above begging.

Jessie and James stood on the dock just before Jessie was about to board. It was warm and everyone around them seemed so cheerful.

"James you know we can't leave those kids alone. I'll be fine. Honestly, you need to trust me more. It's not like I've never been in danger before." Jessie was kind of annoyed, but secretly she loved how concerned James was about her. Nobody else would say something like that.

"You can have all my Pokemon. And if something goes wrong you call me and I'll come right away. And it's not you being in danger that scares me, it's me not being there with you." James couldn't bear the thought of losing Jessie. He hadn't slept a wink the last two days. This was eating away at him.

"I don't need more Pokemon. Ash gave me Bulbasar who is more than capable of aiding me." Bulbasaur was the most protective and strong willed of Ash's Pokemon. She felt safe with him. "But I need to know that you will take care of the kids while I'm gone. It's our fault they're in this situation."

"I know. You don't have to worry about them I'll be careful." James wrapped his arms around her and rested his head on her shoulder. The concerned expression never left his face. The last part of her body to relinquish contact with him was her hand on his waist. It was like ripping off a band-aid. He felt a small surge of adrenaline as he considered sharing exactly what he was feeling. It could be his last chance.

But he thought better of it and turned away. Nothing else scared him quite like this. He tried playing through the scenario in his head, trying to imagine exactly how she'd react. Truth was, he couldn't. Walking down the pier, lost in thought, he was caught off guard when Pikachu came running up to him, weaving between his legs like a cat. He laughed. "Pikachu. Quit it!"

"Pikaah!" Pikachu smiled up at him. He saw how sad James was looking and hoped to cheer him up. He was cute and he knew it. Cheering someone up was an easy task.

James picked up the electric mouse and recieved a little lick on his cheek. Ash wasn't too far behind. He looked cheerful.

"Hey!" He waved before running up to them. "Guess what? I just defeated ALL of Brock's Pokemon, and without Bulbasaur!"

"That's great!" Said James while Pikachu simultaneously flashed a victory sign squeaking "Kaaah!"

James put down Ash's Pokmemon and continued walking. Ash was beaming. Not only was he getting so much better, but he had made new friends. Giving Jessie Bulbasaur was a huge test of trust for him. Seeing James with Pikachu like that really comforted him. It was strange, but a lot of things in his life were changing, and he was okay with all of them.

...

...

"As you can see his influence has extended throughout Johto as well." Silver is walking briskly down a dark corridor. Jessie tries to keep up with him. "We're not the only ones who feel this way. That's the best part." Silver glances back at her with a cunning smile. His icy blue eyes send a shiver down her spine.

He grabs a handle and pulls open a massive door.

Behind it was his secret weapon.

_This changes everything._


	7. abdication

_A young woman is seen pushing a baby carriage with two babies in tow. A large hat covers her eyes and a light blue scarf covers her bruised neck. She braces herself against an icy wind._

_She quietly finds a place on the bustling ferry to settle down and tend to the children. She sits down hoping nobody will recognize her. No such luck._

_"Can I help you with your bags ma'am?" A young man in a red uniform offers her help. She is clearly over encumbered with all her belongings._

_She sighs. "I suppose so." She curses herself for always having to be so high maintenance. It was her fatal flaw._

_The man looks around suspiciously and whispers. "Wait a minute, you're-"_

_The woman flashes him a dirty look and places a finger to her lips before he can finish. "Darren I need you to pretend you never saw me here, are we clear?" She pulls her jacket tighter around her shoulders and looks around. "Now be a good boy and take my bags. The name is Alex."_

_"Right... Alex. I'd be happy to help!" He pretends she's just another customer._

_After she gets settled, she holds one of the children as it cries. She sings quietly and worries about the future. Will they be safe? Will they be healthy? Where will they go to school? What will she tell them when they ask where their father is? Will she be safe?_

_But deep down she knows she'll never be safe. She's in too deep and there's no way out._

_..._

_..._

_One year later the same woman gets ready for bed. She dresses the kids in their pajamas and brushes her teeth. As she looks in the mirror, a sinking feeling sets in. She can't quite name it, but she knows something is wrong._

_She checks on the kids and goes to the door to check the locks. Before she can grab the handle, the door flies open and she receives a blow to the head. She is out cold._

_..._

_..._

_When she wakes up, she is in a hospital._

_"What happened." She bolts up. "Where are my kids?"_

_"Ma'am everything is okay. Your daughter is at your sister's house. She's safe. Please, relax." The nurse tries to comfort her._

_"What about my son?"_

_The nurse looks confused. "Your son? I haven't been informed about a son. I'll go find out for you right away."_

_"What? Where is my son? I want to see my son!" The woman becomes unreasonable. She gets out of bed and runs down the hall to the nurse's station. "My son! They took my son I know it! Get him back! Get the police! Do something they have my son!"_

_The nurse catches up to her and places a hand on her shoulder. "Now ma'am you don't know that. He could be-"_

_As the nurse tries to reassure the woman, she becomes dizzy and everything gets blurry. She got up too fast. She falls to the floor. "My son..."_


	8. Preparations

Silver takes a drag of his cigarette and looks over the faces of his most trusted friends.

Six people sit at a large table in the back room of a dive bar. Silver, Jessie, Darren, Kyle, Claudio, and Leah.

"So now it seems that we have more support than we thought. If more people like Jessie come out of the woodwork, we'll be unstoppable. Jessie says she has support from the best pokemon trainer in the Kanto region. Without enough skilled trainers to combat them, Giovanni's pokemon could take out all of us. We've no shortage of manpower, but powerful pokemon and a skilled trainer like Ash can make or break us." Said Silver

"I've heard of this kid. Ash from Pallet Town. He's only sixteen. Is he really that good?" Darren, the oldest member of the group was skeptical.

"Are you kidding? I heard Giovanni put a hit on him and he killed every agent who came after him." Leah was prone to believe gossip

"Giovanni wants Ash dead because of what he represents. He is actively opposed to Team Rocket and has proven himself a threat. Gervais and I were assigned to capture his pikachu. The truth is, that pikachu of his is exceptionally strong and brave and could be very useful to us." Jessie tried to explain. "I think that if they work with us, they can help us pull this off." Jessie very tactfully left out the little detail that it was actually she and James who killed those agents.

"I think having your help will greatly speed up this process. All we need to do now is get together and hammer out some of the details. Kyle, how are we doing on weapons? Do you think our little collection will suffice?" Silver asked

"We've got enough to supply almost everyone. But I anticipate most people will adequately armed already. Your average guard carries one or two little handguns. They don't prepare for anything like this. If we catch them off guard they won't stand a chance. Now time is the only factor. The longer we wait, the more we risk them finding out." Kyle was right.

"Right. In just a few weeks Viridian City will be holding their annual Earth Festival. This is our big chance. With so many battles going on, it will be the perfect place to get Giovanni to battle against Ash. If he can defeat all his pokemon, he will create the perfect opportunity for us to strike." Jessie was a little confused at why Silver was so ready to stage a coup against his own father. Silver was normally calm and collected. He must have done something really rotten. "You all know what to do."

After the meeting, Jessie was all fired up and ready to go. Now the only thing left to do was return to her friends and get everyone ready. It was almost overwhelming to think that in 18 days she would be fighting along side her friends in an all out battle for Team Rocket.

...

...

Meanwhile, James sat down at a desk in a hotel room furiously scribbling on a pad of paper. Every few lines he'd rip off the page, crumple it and toss it in the trash.

After a few tries he sighed and laid his head straight on the table. "This is hopeless."

"What do ya got there Jimmy?" Meowth came in behind him.

"Nothing!" James frantically grabbed the pad and pressed it against his chest, sticking his foot into the waste basket to crush all of his failed attempts. _Nobody can see these. _

He was blushing like a strawberry. "Hey Meowth why don't you go to the restaurant and grab yourself something to eat huh?" He smiled sheepishly and handed Meowth a 10.

Meowth crinkled his nose "Okay weirdo." and took off to get something to eat.

After Meowth left, James turned back to the paper. _Okay one more try then I'm giving up._

_ Dear Jessie..._


	9. The Festival

**Sorry it took so long to update. I have a few different scenarios of how I want this to go and I keep going back and forth. I'll try to work on it a little bit each day.**

* * *

><p>The time had come. It was a bright sunny day and Vermillion City was even more crowded than usual. Bright decorations, merchants, and performers filled the streets.<p>

Giovanni ascended the stairs to his gym. Today he allowed all kinds of amateurs in his arena to fight. Something about the earth festival made him feel generous. He had just got off the phone with a very influential man and was pleased with how successful Team Rocket had become. He wasn't sure if it was the Mai Tais he had just downed or the familiar excitement of premeditated murder, but for some reason, he felt truly at peace.

In a private box overlooking the stadium, Giovanni sat comfortably in his lounge chair to watch the battles. At the door were two guards. Miles and Grayson were both very loyal to him. They accompanied him to every high profile appearance. He trusted them above everyone else. The same couldn't be said about some of the other Team Rocket members at the gym that day.

Ash had never been so terrified in his life. It felt like he had a brick in his stomach. Jessie and James stayed close by, incognito as always.

The gym was filled with all kinds of trainers his age and older. He had become a bit of a celebrity, so it wasn't long before people were approaching him, asking him for tips, introducing their pokemon. Giovanni watched him mingle from the box. There he was. That little brat he had been trying to get rid of. Right in front of him in broad daylight. It was throwing off his good mood. He needed another drink.

After calling for his servant, one was swiftly brought to him by a certain clever Meowth. Giovanni was staring at Ash as he took the drink from the tray. "You know sir, this is the perfect time to get rid of him."

"What are you talking about?" Giovanni was annoyed. He hated it when his servnts tried to chat with him.

"That little brat from pallet town. If you can defeat his pokemon bumping him off will be easy. Those pokemon of his are the only reason nobody can get to him. Like I always said, if you want something done right, you gotta do it yourself." Meowth said before walking away.

"Hm. Not a bad idea." Giovanni got up and headed for the sign-up table.

"Oh my gosh! Ash Ketchum? Nobody's going to want to battle him! He'd cream anyone!" A girl read through the list of challengers and noted the arrival of the region's best trainer.

"Except me." Giovanni cut in. The little girl turned around, terrified.

She gasped and ran to her friends. "Hey! Ash Ketchum's taking on Giovanni!" The crowed was buzzing with the news as Giovanni signed his name next to Ash's.

"Ladies and gentlemen, today we have a real treat you! Viridian City's gym leader himself, Giovanni, will be taking on the rising star Ash Ketchum in an epic five on five battle!" The loudspeaker boomed as the opponents took their places.

Giovanni smirked. "I don't know why you have come here. Anyway, I have to warn you that this is not a place for kids like you."

Ash choked down his fear. "We'll see about that."

Meanwhile, Silver snuck into his father's office. After prying open the lock on the door, he stood for a moment and remembered the last time he set foot in here.

_"Now Silver, just calm down, you're upset. Just take a seat and talk with me for a minute. I can explain." Giovanni said calmly as his son pointed his pistol at him. Had it been anyone else he would have his guards take care of him. But he loved his son, and he wanted to let him get this off his chest. He knew Silver would never shoot him._

_ "How can I calm down? You know, Darren told me everything. What you plan on doing, what you did to mom, everything. It wasn't a surprise to me either!" He laughed. "Nothing you do surprises me anymore! And you know something else? Darren has been more of a father to me than you ever were."_

_ Giovanni laughed. "Don't you see what he's doing? He's a traitor, he's trying to poison you against me! If you want to know the real story of what happened between me and your mother I would be glad to tell you. Silver, everything I have ever done has been for you, I-"_

_ "Shut up! Just- Shut up!" Silver shook his gun with one hand and wiped his red eyes with the other. He was drunk and crying. Not his best moment. "I... I'm going to go. I'm going to turn around and no one will follow me, do you understand? You leave me alone!"_

_ "Okay son. You go wherever you feel you need to. Take some time, think things over. I'll be here when you get back." Giovanni sat down at his desk. "And remember. I love you."_

Silver sat at his father's desk and lay his jacket over the monitor so as not to throw off any light. He put a flash drive in the usb port and extracted almost 10 GB of information. If all else fails, at least he'll have this.

He heard a thud from upstairs. It was Onix. He hoped Ash was doing well. Having faced him before, he knew what he was capable of.

The battle was going quite well for Ash. In fact, he was surprised by how slow Giovanni was. His pokemon were quite strong, but he didn't have the connection with them like Ash did. Their hearts didn't seem to be in it. What gave Ash the edge in all his battles was the fact that his pokemon trained with him because they wanted to, not because they were forced to.

Jessie looked around the stadium. There were Team Rocket members everywhere, and it was impossible for her to know who was loyal to Giovanni and who wasn't. She'd just have to see for herself when the time came.


	10. Reaping Season

Tauros swayed from side to side, struggling to stay balanced on four wounded hooves. A bead of sweat rolled down Giovanni's forehead. _Dammit._

Touros finally fainted. "And there goes the battle! Ash Ketchum has defeated Gym leader Giovanni!" The crowd cheered. Even though it was Giovanni's gym, most people seemed to be rooting for Ash.

Jessie and James looked knowingly at one another. Jessie quietly descended the stairs to join Silver in the basement.

Two guards stood in the hallway by Giovanni's office talking about the battle.

"No kidding. He must have thrown the fight purposely. There's no way Giovanni could have lost to that little brat. He must have something planned."

"He always does. If I weren't so busy I could have totally taken that kid out myself."

The other guard laughed. "Yeah yeah keep talking buddy, that's all you do man, talk talk talk."

From the staircase Jessie saw Silver across the hall in Giovanni's office. On Silver's signal, the two redheads swiftly aimed and shot the guards while their backs were turned.

From the hallway the bodies were dragged into a back room that was being used for storage. Jessie noticed an open door that lead to another room "Are those Giovanni's pokeballs?"

Jessie and Silver peeked in and saw about a dozen pokeballs organized on a shelf. "Yep. That's them. I can't believe the old man just left them lying around." Silver closed the door.

They were lucky to have found the pokemon before any more battles took place. Jessie thought about just stealing them, but then she had a better idea. "Uh, I need to run back upstairs real quick. I think I know how I can make this all go more smoothly."

Silver glanced at his watch. "Okay, but be really quick, they could be down here any minute."

Upstairs Giovanni was buying Ash a drink. "I have to admit kid, you got some skill! I'd like to see how you handle a REAL battle though." He snickered.

Ash felt even more sick. "What do you mean a REAL battle? That was a real battle! I beat you fair and square!"

Giovanni laughed. "Yeah yeah. Back in my days there weren't so many rules. A trainer was allowed to fight however he wanted. I'll tell you what, if you want to see how we old guys do it, come downstairs tonight. I know a few old school trainers who would love to meet you." Giovanni smiled a murderous smile and Ash felt like throwing up. He hated pretending to be friendly with someone who was clearly trying to murder him. But this was a game two could play.

Jessie could see that Ash was busy talking to Giovanni, but Pikachu who was sitting on the floor beside his bar stool noticed her.

Jessie motioned for him to come over, and without Ash or Giovanni noticing, he slipped away. "Pikachu, I need you to get Bulbasaur and follow me downstairs"

Pikachu quickly and quietly grabbed Bulbasaur's ball from Ash's belt without Giovanni seeing and followed Jessie into the basement.

When they arrived in the back room, Pikachu let Bulbasaur out.

"What are you guys doing down here?" Silver asked.

"All of Giovanni's pokemon are in that room right there." Jessie pointed to the door. "I wanted to give you guys a chance to talk to them before this goes any further." Knowing how much other pokemon respected Pikachu and what a great ambassador Bulbasaur was, she was sure they could reason with them.

The two pokemon looked up at the shelf where the pokeballs were stored up high. Without even thinking of asking for help, Bulbasaur headbutted the shelf and all the balls came raining down on them. "...Saur." Moltres's ball hit him square on the head.

Pikachu scurried around the room, tapping every single pokeball he could see, summoning his fellow pokemon out. Soon enough, the room was filled with Giovanni's Pokemon.

"Pika pi- pi pika pi pi. Pika chu chu pi. Pi chu. Ka!" Pikachu tried to explain what was going on. _Listen! You guys are all in danger! Team Rocket has developed new pokeballs that will brainwash any pokemon they capture. It's horrible! _

The pokemon looked around at one another. "Gengaar." _We know._

"Pika? Pi pi ka pi?" _You do? Then why are you guys still here? You need to escape fast, before they turn you all into zombies!_

"Gen." _We are loyal to our master._"Gengar Gen." _It would be wrong of us to abandon him._

"Bulba. Saur saur." Bulbasaur and Pikachu were natural leaders, and between the two of them it was not hard to convince them to leave.

"Kanga. Kan kanga." Kangaskhan agreed with Pikachu.

From all the noise outside, the pokemon were able to deduce that the celebration was underway. This was their chance to slip away.

Bulbasaur lead them out through the bulkhead and into the forest. He was pleased that he was able to get past this hurdle without using violence. He thought about trying to enlist their help in the ensueing battle, but he could see they were ashamed of themselves and he didn't want to push his luck.

Pikachu sympathized, but he couldn't quite understand what it was like. He had never been in a situation like that before. His allegiance to Ash came from friendship. He felt lucky to have such a kind and wise trainer. He felt sorry for them. So did Bulbasaur. But they both had work to do and they couldn't linger. They said their goodbyes and Giovanni's pokemon bodyguards disapeared into the night, free to be whoever they wanted.

Jessie was glad her idea worked. One thing she learned from getting to know Ash and Pikachu was that pokemon were not violent by nature. They were loyal and wise. They weren't like people. Especially not the people in her life.

Pikachu remembered how Jessie's Ekans said that pokemon aren't bad. They do bad things because their masters are bad. That always stuck with him. A pokemon had every right to abandon their masters if they were wrong. Trainers abandon their pokemon every day. Sometimes Pikachu thought he was the only one with enough guts to stick up for himself. But he could see things were changing. No thanks to Giovanni.

Inside, James and Ash were wondering where the heck Pikachu went. With all of Giovanni's pokemon gone, the wheels were in motion and there was no way to stop them.

"They did it!" Jessie tried to keep her voice down as she came out of nowhere, grabbing Ash's arm and pulling him behind the cover of a large potted plant.

"What? What are you talking about?" Ash was a little surprised. She was beaming.

"Pikachu and Bulbasaur convinced all of Giovanni's pokemon to leave! You won't have to battle him again. Now the only pokemon we have to worry about are a few guards. Probably machamp."

Ash was proud, although not surprised. "That's great. So what do you need me to do now?"

"You don't have to do anything. We would never want you or your pokemon to risk your lives for something like this."

"Well we might be able to help. If you need anything don't hesitate to ask." Ash was genuinely concerned for her safety.

Jessie smiled, touched, and a little confused. "You've done so much good, I don't think you realize. You've got some serious good karma kid. So do your pokemon."

Ash smiled. "So do you. I owe you guys a lot you know."

"Alright ladies, are we gonna get this thing going or what?" Neither Ash or Jessie liked being called a lady. Silver didn't seem to have the slightest trepidation about this. He was cool as a cucumber. As always.

"Yeah I'm sick of standing around talking. Ash, you heard about what happened. Are you in or out?" James was anxious to hear what he would do.

Ash looked to Pikachu. "Chuu..." He was ready to fight.

"Pikachu, do you really want to? I mean..."

"Why don't we take this outside?" Looking around the room, Silver was thinking clearly enough to know that four people whispering behind a ficus was a little odd.

The group traveled to the back next to the bulkhead in the clearing where Giovanni's pokemon left. Only this time it wasn't empty.

The forest was filled with punks, thugs, theives, hustlers, junkies, cutpurses, freaks, dirt bags, crackheads, bagmen, decoys, con artists, henchmen, muggers, trailer trash, gangsters, and skid marks. They were all scum. Which is a kind of integrity, if you look at every exit as an entrance somewhere else. They were the kind of scum that knew they were scum. Most of them were born into it. It was no coincidence that Giovanni was in charge for thirty years, and hardly anyone in Team Rocket was over the age of thirty.

As James looked around at his peers, he felt he finally had somewhere he belonged. He was a god among junkies. Looking at where he was, and how far he had come, he felt proud. Silver managed to find every low life in the state. Affiliated with Team Rocket or not, hatred for this disease of a man was almost universal on the streets. It wasn't as difficult as one might think. These were men and women who came from the same streets as Jessie and James. Men and Women who may have done something with their lives, before they were infected by Giovanni's scourge of moral pestilence.

Some of these people were really just boys and girls Ash's age. Unlike Ash, they had nothing to lose. Ash took out all his pokeballs and released them.

He looked at all of them, more seriously than he ever had. "Listen guys. We won't be battling again. Not like normal anyway. I need to know right now if any of you are willing to fight with the others." He motioned behind him to the knife and gun wielding criminals in the woods. "I want to protect you, but it's not my descision to make... If you feel too weak, return to your pokeballs now." Silver was shocked. This was unprecedented. Never in the history of pokemon battles had a trainer given their poekmon such freedom. Unsurprisingly, some of his pokemon did return. They just got out of a pretty rough battle. Unlike his Bulbasaur, Ash's other pokemon were not too proud.

Some of the criminals had pokemon alongside them. Some of the criminals, namely Meowth, were pokemon. "Pissah! It looks like we've got plently of man power! Now can we get goin?" Meowth was bloodthirsty. A fault of his his friends could easily forgive here.

James was beginning to think Meowth never took anything seriously. "I appreciate your enthusiasm Meowth." He sighed and grabbed the scruff of his neck. "But just be careful, okay buddy?" He said as he pulled him close into a hug.

"Okay okay jeeze. What is it with you humans always thinkin you gotta protect us? Don't you know it's the other way around?" Meowth winked at Pikachu who completely agreed with Meowth for the first time in his life.

The group made their way down the stairs into the back room. Through the door they could hear Giovanni yelling at Miles. His voice echoed in the huge two story warehouse-like underground lair. "What do you mean they aren't there? Pokeballs don't just disappear! Find them!"

"Y-yes sir. Right away!" Miles bowed and ran into the back room where he was greeted by a baseball bat to the face.

"God, I've always wanted to do that!" said Silver as he dragged his unconscious body into the closet. "One down." He smiled as he shut the door.

Leading the gang, Silver quietly opened the door and made his way down the hallway, followed by Jessie, James, Meowth, Ash and then the rest of the group pooled into the backroom and hallway. The group was so large the hallway and room were filled, and some people were sill outside the bulkhead waiting to charge.

Silver stepped into what would soon be a battlefield. "Silver. You're back." Giovanni fought back the sudden fear that gripped him and tried to hide it with a smile. "I'm so happy you're safe." _What a coward. _"Have you had some time to think things over?" Giovanni tried to sound confident, but Silver was the one person in the whole world who could tell when he was hiding something. To him, it was obvious.

"Yes, I have. I thought long and hard Dad, and the sad truth is, you must die now." Both Silver and Giovanni reached for their guns, but Giovanni was faster, and shot his son in the shoulder.

As soon as he was hit Jessise came running in. The rest followed. "I'm fine, I'm fine" Silver said through excruciating pain. "Believe it or not, I've been shot before." He smiled as a terrified Jessie saw to his safety.

The army poured into the room like a tide. Giovanni's men along with four Machamp rushed in to protect him. A Weezing used smoke screen and Giovanni stole off up a flight of stairs on to a balcony overlooking a gloomy lab. Being a Weezing owner himself, James saw right through the smoke and ran up the stairs after him.

Knowing he had been followed, Giovanni turned and fired. _Shoots like a drunken retard. _James, completely forgetting the fact he was even carrying a gun himself, wrestled the gun from Giovanni and threw it over the railing. Then it was hand to hand combat. The truest form of antipathy.

Giovanni swung, James ducked, and for some strange reason, the next thing James saw was Giovanni's fancy Italian shoes flying through the air.

Charizard had grabbed him by his Armani suit jacket and dropped him right over the ledge into the lab, which was some fifteen feet below. He landed with an ear shattering crash and James ran down to see where he landed. What he was was almost too violent even for him. Some kind of pipe was sticking straight out of his chest. He was fully impaled.

"Heh. Looks like you beat me kid." Giovanni said in between coughs of blood. "Now be a good boy and put an old man out of his misery. Don't let me suffer."

James looked at him and moved forward slowly. "I just need to know one thing." He crouched down next to him to hear his reply. "Did you ever love Miyamoto?"

Giovanni closed his eyes and smiled a wistful smile. "I did. And Jessie too..."

James looked down at him in amazement and disgust.

He gave a weak laugh. "I wouldn't expect you to understand. You have a strong sense of justice Gervais. She deserves a man like you." For the first time since his early twenties, Giovanni Rossi was a human being. "Take care of her."

An aghast James said nothing else. He backed up, slowly aimed and shot him between the eyes. He then stood there for a minute, still holding the gun up, completely empty inside.

He then put the gun back in his holster and turned to face the throng. It was a massacre. Giovanni's men didn't stand a chance. He arrived just before the last throat was slit.

"Please, please, don't kill me, I'll join you, I'll do whatever you say, just let me live, I have a daughter!" The cowardly Grayson was on his knees at the mercy of Claudio.

"Let him go Claud, Giovanni's dead." James said like he was reading off a grocery list.

The crowed cheered. "Really? Well shit, that was quick!" Meowth seemed disappointed.

"How did he die? ...Was it quick?" Silver looked concerned for the first time since James knew him.

He decided to lie. "Yeah, he was in hell for thirty seconds before he even knew he was dead."

James looked at Ash. He was covered in blood. Someone else's blood. He was impressed. "Wow. So Silver, this means you've in charge now, right?"

Silver laughed a little uncertainly. "Well partly. I mean, Jessie has just as much claim to it as I do."

Jessie tried to look like she didn't know what he was talking about. "Silver, don't be silly, we don't even know-"

"Yes we do Jess!" Silver walked over to her and took her hand. "I know the whole story... You and dad always acted like you were ashamed of each other! Jessica, you are my sister, and I could never be ashamed of you!" The twins hugged tearfully with the mangled body of their father only yards away.

"Well isn't this a nice little family reunion." Meowth mumbled sarcastically before he was elbowed by Pikachu who was enjoying their happy moment.


End file.
